Facebook-Driven Newark Overhaul Lurches Forward

Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg speaks to 11th grade math students at the KIPP Newark Collegiate Academy, in Newark, N.J., on Sept. 25. He visited the school to highlight the $100 million deal with Newark schools that he announced earlier in the week with mayor Cory A. Booker and Gov. Chris Christie.

—Gary He/Facebook/AP

By Catherine Gewertz

What began as a swashbuckling move by the mayor of Newark, N.J., the state's governor, and a newly minted billionaire to reshape the beleaguered Newark school system has turned into a tangle of blowback and counterpunches as skeptics contend their plan would violate state law.

The hubbub centers on a bet by Mark Zuckerberg, the 26-year-old founder of the Facebook social-networking site, that $100 million of his money—and brash new state and local leadership—could transform the Newark schools, which have been under state control for 15 years.

At issue is the power-sharing arrangement proposed by the three men. In a series of media appearances, including a kickoff announcement on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on Sept. 24, they said New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie would "partner" with Mayor Cory A. Booker over the next five years on a district turnaround, drawing on the millions Mr. Zuckerberg will provide, through a new foundation, from...